Nick Brindisi – Page 5 – My Active Lifetime

June 5, 2014 Paddling

First Kayak 2014

After the crazy long winter of 2014 followed by the freezing snowy spring, it was such a relief to see open water again on Georgian Bay. Photos from the International Space Station showed the great lakes frozen completely over and Georgian Bay off Lake Huron was no exception. In fact I even wrote an article about running my Kayak route of 12 kilometers on solid ice only a few months ago! I’m certain we are at least 1.5 months behind this year with the spring/summer weather.

The Niagara Escarpment

kayak-2014-escarpment — Viewing the Niagara Escarpment from the kayak

When the Niagara Escarpment is viewed from the vantage point of the kayak it is a uniquely beautiful perspective. It’s impossible to take it all in from land the way you can from the water. The Niagara Escarpment reaches it’s highest point near the town of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada and is designated a world biosphere reserve by the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A biosphere reserve is an international designation of recognition from UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) for an area in the world which is deemed to demonstrate a “balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere.” By this is meant that collaborative efforts among people in the designated area serve to promote the sustainability of local economies and communities, as well as the conservation of the terrestrial/or coastal ecosystems they are in.

The Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse

The lighthouse on Nottawasaga Island was built in 1858, the same year our town of Collingwood was incorporated. It was one of 6 built around Georgian Bay of the same design using local limestone. The lantern room at the top was made in France and represented the height of mid 19th century French craftsmanship. In typical French style the drip spouts from the roof gutters are gargoyles with the water pouring from their mouths!

Sadly the lighthouse in Collingwood has fallen into disrepair over the last 15 years. Parts of the outer cladding stone have fallen off and despite a series of steel cables surrounding the structure, the stones are constantly falling off. It is hold that a local lighthouse preservation society can not only purchase the lighthouse from the federal government but restore it to it’s former glory.

The Collingwood Harbour

It’s always interesting to paddle into the harbor in Collingwood right into the ship launch channel. In this channel ships were launched up until 1986 after over 100 years of shipbuilding. Ships as large as 730 feet in length were launched here to join the Great Lakes bulk freighter fleet.

Today you see new condo and town homes built on the site that used to be home to the bustle of shipyard work with cranes and launch ways. A beautiful pedestrian promenade opens the area to pedestrian traffic.

The Big Banana Boat

My 14 foot Necky sea kayak is never going to be the fastest most elegant boat like some of the fiberglass kayaks out there. It does however have some advantages like it’s toughness, and it’s low price. You don’t mind the odd scrape when coming ashore on a gravel beach. It’s blazing yellow so I named it my Big Banana Boat!

Whenever you go out on the great lakes or any other open body of water particularly far from shore it’s important to carry minimum equipment. I’ve seen people 4 km off shore with no lifejacket (PFD) and no other equipment. Any sort of experience teaches that a kayak can be one of the most awkward things to get back into if you capsize. Ejecting from your boat far from shore can be deadly in cold water. Here is what I carry:

PFD
Paddle Float
Throw Rope
Bilge Pump
iPhone in Otter box for emergency calling and navigation
Paddle Lanyard
Electrolyte Replacement Drink

Check that your deck rigging is in good order, the rudder rigging if you have one, watertight compartment covers etc. Also tell someone how long you expect to be out and what your route will be. Have a safe, active Kayak experience!

May 25, 2014 Life Coaching, Running

Visualizing Success to Reach your Goals

We all have goals and dreams in our lives that we hope to reach. Some of us are more successful at reaching them than others. What makes this so? How are some people able to consistently reach their goals and keep coming back to try again if they don’t? I believe the answer lies in visualization, compartmentalization and selective focus.

Visualization

Focus on your surroundings and feel blessed to be there.

We must visualize success at every stage of our endeavors. No matter the goal, it’s visualizing how it will feel to be successful that will keep us progressing towards the goal. It is important to throw out the negative voices that conspire to draw our attention from a successful outcome.

As a lifelong runner I have endured many training cycles leading up to events ranging from 10K to half and full marathons to ultra-marathons of 50k, 75k, 100k and more. These training cycles are very carefully planned and are difficult. It’s a lot of work but it’s the only way to achieve success. It is important to block out negativity and remain focused and consistent in training. Visualization in training can include:

seeing the days training run unfold as a success in your head before and during
seeing the run as yet another successful step in the right direction towards a successful race or fitness goal
keeping negative thoughts at bay even when a particular run is turning out to be slower or tougher than you expected. It’s easy to let these thoughts throw you off your game and you must not allow that to happen.
truly see the beauty in your surroundings when running or training for any sport involving the outdoors
tell yourself you are lucky that you are alive, fit, and that even though it may not be your best day, the training was valid and worth it. You are worth it.

Visualization of success also applies to racing. Some of the points above apply to racing as well, but here are some points to keep in mind on race day:

trust your training to carry you to your goal and use the confidence that training gives you to block out any negativity
allow yourself to achieve your goal – fight for it because you deserve it
if you feel you can’t maintain your goal pace visualize the finish and rationalize that not only have you trained for success but slowing down will only prolong the short term pain
remember that long term pain comes from quitting and it’s far worse than short term pain. Don’t quit unless you think there is a chance of injury in which case withdraw to fight again another day.
expect success and then enjoy and savor the moment as every step carries you closer to success

Compartmentalization

Goals we set for ourselves can be daunting. Both the training and the racing include times where the whole thing can become a little overwhelming. Whether it’s a series of long runs in a row with little recovery or a race that’s longer than any training run it’s easy to let feelings of doubt creep in. Again I can best illustrate this with my favorite sport running, with some of my experiences as a participant and coach.

A truly difficult and demoralizing thought process during training runs is thinking too much about race day. It may seem counterintuitive because of what I’ve mentioned about visualizing success. Remember that visualizing success is great, but you need to visualize success on a given day or even a given segment of a run or other activity. Breaking it down this way makes it far easier to manage and a more positive experience.

During some of my long runs leading up to an ultra marathon I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking about the end goal too much! I’ll be out on a 38km trail run with over 3,000 feet of climbing and feeling like crap and thinking “how can I expect to run 160km (100 miles) and 20,000 feet of climbing on race day if I feel like this with only 38km?” Do not fall into this trap! Not only does it sap your energy on that training run but it lowers your overall confidence in your training! Remember above I mention trusting your training to carry you through? It’s hard to trust your training if you belittle it with negative thoughts.

Break each run, bike, paddle, whatever the sport down into segments. Focus on these segments and reach these smaller goals along the way. For a longer run like a 38km or 40km, break it down into pieces like a hilly 10k segment or the next 5km till a nice easy portion begins. Congratulate yourself for achieving these milestones along the way! Enjoying success on these smaller easier to achieve goals gives you the belief that you can carry it to the next segment and ultimately the entire run.

Some race day strategies:

break the race into segments and more easily achievable goals
congratulate yourself on completing each segment
carry the feeling of achievement on to the next segment
visualize the finish line when you think you are at the place in the race where you have completed enough successful segments that success will be yours and never waver from that picture of success in your mind
treat each of these segments of the race as if they are shorter training runs and relate them closely so that it’s easy to trust your training to carry you through
refocus if negative thoughts come calling and they will

Selective Focus

mud shoes — One of those days! Focus on warmth, not mud and dampness.

During a 100 miler trail race you go to some dark and painful places mentally and physically. It’s the nature of the sport. Starting a race on a nice bright morning and running into the night with a headlamp takes a special kind of crazy! Or does it? I believe it’s the power of the mind that carries us through. I’m certainly not the fastest runner out there on these trail ultras and I’m not superhuman. What I think carries ultra runners through to the end is the ability to combine visualizing success, compartmentalizing the race and the training into segments, and selective focus.

Selective focus for me personally is the ability to choose what I want as my reality. I know it sounds a little spooky, but choosing to focus on another reality during a dark time is powerful!

During the Sinister 7 trail race in Alberta’s rocky mountain Crowsnest pass last summer I hit some pretty painful moments. There was a time approaching 95km when every joint was hurting in my legs and I was trying to get some sort of fluid and electrolyte balance back from the unusually hot day. The sun was going down and I was now in a jacket, toque and headlamp. I chose to not focus on the pain, the darkening skies and the thought of grizzly bears. I chose to disassociate my physical being from my mind or spirit if you like. I focused on my family, friends, and picked out the most wonderful enjoyable moments in my life. I projected myself into a simple being floating through the forest pretending to float not run.

The power of selective focus is found in the power of creating your own reality even when things are not going your way. Choose to be fully engaged in your dream and choose to focus on something else when negative feelings or realities try to get in the way. Do not let these feelings or situations steal your focus. You alone control your focus and make your own reality. All you need to do is hang on and concentrate and wait for physical reality to catch up with your mental one.

These techniques apply to any challenge we have in our life. Sports, business success, relationships, emotional well being or any goal at all can be reached with the help of these techniques. I always love the idea of “Carpe Diem” – seize the day… Seize success. Attack each day with a positive attitude and never stop trying. Accept setbacks as part of life and move on. Dwell only on success.

I hope these thoughts strike a chord in you and hopefully help you achieve your goals whatever they may be.

If you are interested in personal coaching or performance nutrition products, contact Coach Nick:
email: info@myactivelifetime.com

May 18, 2014 Contributors

Suzy Bishop Sheppey

I first met Suzy Bishop Sheppey on the soccer field a few years ago. She had said that she was looking to her teammates for advice as she was fairly new to the game. I found her tenacity and ability to learn combined with natural athleticism impressive.

Fast forward a year or two and I decided to join her at one of our local mountain biking meccas for a sport she is not new to and that she excels at! All I can say is that it was quite an awakening! As a trail and road runner fitness was not my issue, but technique was. Suzy confidently ripped through the trails jumping logs playfully and attacking the technical parts. I was now getting schooled!

More recently I had seen her Facebook posts on spring mountain biking in Asheville North Carolina. It’s a spring warmup that takes advantage of the earlier spring down there. The photos are amazing and it looks like such a fun trip.

You are not likely to find a nicer person with as big a heart as Suzy. This caring personality makes her the perfect person to work with children. Combine that with her passion for physical fitness and you get “Monkeynastix” her program for movement education and physical literacy for kids. The program helps kids get a healthy lifestyle right from the start.

Keep on riding Suzy! We look forward to hearing about more of her adventures on My Active Lifetime!
~ Nick Brindisi, Editor.

For more information about Monkeynastix or to find out about fitness fun birthday parties for kids:

Website: www.monkeynastixbarrie.ca
Facebook page : www.facebook.com/monkeynastixbarrie

May 14, 2014 Skiing

Active Living for Everyone – Special Olympics

There was a time when opportunities for fitness and sport were not readily available for people with intellectual disability. Thankfully that has all changed and a wide variety of organized sports are available today through Special Olympic programs all over the world. The program is open to athletes of all abilities and is inclusive of all. My world literally changed when I became a ski racing coach with Special Olympics Ontario and the Blue Mountain Special Olympics team in Collingwood, Ontario Canada. Although everyone tells me how much they appreciate my time and the sacrifice of my Sundays, I think I am the one who appreciates my Sundays and have a lot to be thankful for. I have not yet found a more fulfilling coaching position in any sport. They give back more than I can give.

My primary athlete is a 22 year old man named Jeffery who has become someone I call a good friend. He is teachable and gets a little better every season. He is quick to share a joke and a laugh. In fact you can often hear him and a couple of the other athletes singing Jonny Cash songs on the chairlift! Nothing like “Burning Ring of Fire” on a cold January day! There are other athletes who ski with me even though they are not primarily assigned to me. They are friends with my Jeffery and like to ski together. Luckily their abilities are quite evenly matched so we are able to train together and everyone keeps up. It also makes doing drills a snap because they are all able to do them at a similar level.

The Ski Racing Program

jeffkevin — Jeffery and Kevin Rocking Dry Land Training

In October we begin a “dry land” training program out of the National Ski Academy. This involves strength & conditioning work along with aerobic conditioning. The exercises are skiing specific and work to strengthen the athlete’s muscles in a way that will not only allow them to ski better but to be less injury prone as well. the program lasts for 8 weeks of Sundays.

In early January we take to the hills and begin the on-hill training program. Typical days begin at 8:30am with a warm up routine and stretch. Following that it’s free-skiing and drills specific to ski racing. The drills work on balance, coordination, and skiing technique. Teaching requires a completely different approach which is tailored to the ability and comprehension of the athlete. Almost universally we are taught to use physical teaching methods and not be wordy. It’s difficult to try to explaining complicated concepts like edging and angulation to any skier so verbal instruction doesn’t work well for the purposes of this program. I’ve learned that games and drills where they mimic my movements are far better to build muscle memory and reinforce positive techniques without the athlete realizing it. It’s a sort of instinctual physical learning. After the drills and warm up skiing we move to the course and they ski the course. Some Sundays it is a slalom course and other weekends it is a Giant Slalom (GS) course. The athletes wear watches that automatically time them as they go through the course. After each run these times are compared, ideas shared and we repeat for the rest of the day.

The Races

In a typical season there will be one or to away meets at other ski hills with several teams in attendance. These are warm up races leading up to the regional home race at Blue Mountain. These regional races act as a qualifier for the first level of a four year rotation that sees Provincials, Nationals and Worlds. The athlete must qualify through all of these levels to make it to the pinnacle – Worlds which are held all over the world. Past World competitions have been held in Korea, Austria and many other countries. At the end of the year we have the side by side slalom race where the athletes get to race against their coaches. This is a great fun way to wrap up the season that involves everyone. I guarantee you will make a huge impact on someone’s life if you join Special Olympics as a coach. I also guarantee that it will change your outlook on life and be the most rewarding satisfying experience you can have.

For more information and to get involved about Special Olympics visit these sites: http://www.specialolympics.org (Worldwide parent organization)
www.specialolympics.ca – Special Olympics Canada
www.specialolympicsontario.com – Special Olympics Ontario

May 7, 2014 Running

Toronto Marathon Weekend 2014

The Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon is the premier Toronto race in my books. The route, the organization, the spectators, the entertainment, basically everything is top notch. Of course I admit I’m biased based on the fact that I’m the race director of the Collingwood Half Marathon & 10K, a sister race of this one! Still I have been running this race since 1989 off and on and I have to say it’s truly grown into an international destination race.

The Course

The course runs from the north end of the city in Mel Lastman square straight down Toronto’s main north-south corridor, Yonge Street. After running through several pretty neighborhoods including passing Casa Loma, the course winds it’s way through the Rosedale Valley which is so well treed and beautiful that you forget you are in the 4th largest city in North America. After heading south on Bayview it turns into the historic St. Lawrence Market area and on into the heart of the downtown financial district. It carries on to the waterfront for a tour of Ontario Place, the lake shore parks, the Humber pedestrian bridge and Humberview Park. After turning around and heading back along Lake Shore Blvd. you finish to the roar of the crowd at Ontario Place right across the street from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. It is indeed quite a scenic tour of the city.

The Support System

The Toronto Marathon has literally and army of volunteers including bike marshals, intersection marshals, water station workers, police, EMS and more. I’m constantly amazed at how this army mobilizes to make the race as problem free as it is.

Water stations are every two kilometers on the route and well staffed with water and Gatorade available.

Along the route you will find everything from a Jazz band, buskers, cheering crowds, the amazing Bishop Strachan School for Girls cheering section, and generally not a single part of the course without some moral support from well wishers. Thank you Toronto for being there for us!

The finish line of any marathon is the most inviting thing in your entire life if you are a participant! The finish line at the Toronto Marathon is heaven. Right away you get your medal and pass well stocked Gatorade and water tables. From there you head to the food tent with it’s apples, bananas, oranges, and this year these cool round pita like breads that had raisins in them! From there it’s on to the massage and stretching tent where eager physiotherapy and massage therapists work their wonders on your trashed body.

The Medal

In all the hundreds of events I’ve run I have never seen a medal like this one. It’s heavy! It’s large. In fact I call it a sushi plate! Even the race director, my friend Jay Glassman sees the humor in the medal and saw to it that it was inscribed on the reverse side with the following message: “Holy….! Yes, this really is the medal! Caution don’t drop! Do not pack in carry-on luggage. Suitable as a personal protection device. We cannot be held responsible for personal injury.” It is so big that it gets it’s own paragraph!

My Race in 2014

So how did I do in 2014? I was 17 minutes slower than I’m capable of doing and I’m happy with that result. Why? Because I ran a 50km trail race with 8,000 feet of vertical up and down in it 7 days before! It’s all part of my back to back stress training for the Sinister 7 100 miler in Alberta Canada in July.

Nick Toronto Marathon — The oh boy, what have I done expression!

During the first half marathon I felt really good and ran 1:39 at the half marathon point. That would have been good for a 3:18 marathon. However one piece of advice I have and I knew it before the race anyway is that you can’t fully recover from a long race in 7 days. It was an experiment to see how I could cope with back to back long races.

In the second half things really slowed down particularly around the 34 km mark where my legs made their presence felt with a lot of pain. Cardio was fine. Cramping ensued and I had to walk/stretch the cramps away for a couple of minutes. By the time I finished I had a 3:47 marathon on my hands.

I’m actually thrilled with this result because my experiment taught me so much! I know that I can tolerate two long races within seven days. I know that it only added 17 minutes to my 42.2km time. I found out a lot of things including don’t run such a ridiculously positive split time when you totally know better!

Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon Details

The next running of this iconic race will be May 3rd, 2015. I highly recommend the experience!

Marathon
Half Marathon
5K
Race Expo on May 1st and 2nd

All details are available on their website: www.torontomarathon.com

The Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon is organized by Running First. For details on other races by Running First visit: www.runtoronto.com

If you are looking for a great fall Half Marathon, come to Collingwood for October 4th, 2014. For all details: www.runcollingwood.ca

May 2, 2014 Contributors

Claudia Johnston-Frauchiger

Claudia Johnston-Frauchiger is a driven, goal oriented person who happens to be among the best triathletes in her age group anywhere. She not only qualified for Ironman Hawaii three times, but completed the challenging event in under 10 hours on one of those occasions! Her best finish placing in Hawaii was 3rd placing her in the top 3 worldwide.

Her achievements come with a significant training requirement made all the more difficult by being the mother of 5 children and a supporter of many charitable causes. As an example her 75km run to support the Collingwood G & M Hospital foundation with her friend and ultra-runner Nick Brindisi came precisely one week after her 3rd Hawaii Ironman finish!

There really aren’t appropriate superlatives to describe the toughness and inspiration Claudia brings to everything she does. Follow along at My Active Lifetime as she begins another training campaign that will culminate in her 4th Hawaii Ironman. With the help of of Canadian national team triathlon coach Barrie Shepley who has coached such greats as Simon Whitfield Claudia has a winning team behind her winning personality.

Born: April 19, 1973 in Bern, Switzerland
Sports growing up: Ballet, Skiing (downhill), Show jumping (competitive), Tennis, running
First Triathlon: 1998
Love: Ironman and anything Ultra!!!
Dislike: people who don’t care, not having enough time…
Greatest achievements: Five children, 2 dogs and a bunny, besides that 3xIM Hawaii finisher, placing 6,3,3, one of them sub 10hrs
Fastest Ironman: 9h34min (IM Austria, 2011)

Website: www.claudiajohnston.ca

April 30, 2014 Running

Pick your Poison 12.5k, 25k, 50k Trail Race

Saturday April 26th I had the pleasure and pain of participating in the Pick your Poison trail race. The race took place at the Heights of Horseshoe at Horseshoe Valley in Ontario, Canada. It’s aptly named Pick your Poison because you can pick 12.5km, 25km or 50km which equals 1, 2 or 4 times around the grueling course.

With nearly 8,000 feet of elevation change in all the ups and downs the 50km race proved a difficult test. Our late winter and cold spring of 2014 resulted in ankle deep mud and corn snow in places that typically are hard packed trail. However, I can say that the rain did hold off and the grey skies kept the sun out of our eyes.

The course loop featured 3 aid stations located at the start/finish area, and every one third of the loop fairly equally. They were well stocked and had a variety of what ultra-runners crave including, water, Heed, salty snacks and sugary candies. The start/finish station even had wonderful salty chicken soup, the perfect source of calories, salt and heat on a relatively cold 4 degree celsius day. All volunteers were amazing, friendly and helpful.

From a psychological standpoint I found that it can be an extra challenge knowing after the first of four laps every hill and every tricky spot, and knowing I would have to do them all 3 more times. Still it’s just one of those things you deal with and can only make you tougher. The flip side is that I found that after climbing the last long hill on the last lap I knew exactly how close I was to the finish!

I highly recommend this race and would do it again.

For complete details about Pick your Poison 12.5k, 25k, 50k Trail Race visit the race website: http://pickyourpoison.ca

April 10, 2014 Running

Find Your True Self – Mountain Ultra Running

I recently had one of the most intensely difficult, painful, draining yet joyous, moving experiences of my life. On July 6th, 2013 I participated in the Sinister 7 Mountain Trail Race. (www.sinister7.com)

It really is sinister and yes you really do feel all those sensations and emotions over it’s 148km distance. As if that distance isn’t hard enough there’s 18,000 feet of climbing and descending, mud bogs, river crossings and a 27 hour time limit! Located in the fantastically beautiful Crowsnest Pass in south-western Alberta Canada, it’s mountains are located right on the continental divide. It has a rugged beauty all it’s own!

Preparations
In order to prepare for this beast of a race I had a plan in place that took up 7 months. I have run for 40 years and have competed in many marathons, half marathons, 10k’s 5k’s, you name it, so I wasn’t starting from ground zero. Nevertheless I knew that the training that was going to be required for this beast was something entirely different. Less speed work and more long slow distance. It was going to require many hill repeats on our small ski hill here in Collingwood Ontario. It may only be 720 feet high, but 5 repeats of it in the middle of a 30k run was not much fun!

So many times I remember running 30 to 40k in the middle of nowhere seeing my road cycling friends go by and wish me luck. Every month the grind went on with no seeming end in sight other than a vague idea that July 6th I’d somehow get through the 7 grueling legs of the S7 in one piece in under 27 hours.

Through an unseasonably cold spring, the training continued. With a feeling of constant soreness in my body and feeling completely drained I pressed on. Sleeping was easy. Eating was also easy! I got down to 165 pounds on my six foot frame despite eating a lot with my sons aged 21 and 17.

It was tough but also toughening to put in up to 120km per week leading up to the race, and when the tapering period came up 10 days before it felt strange. Taking days off and running 5 to 10km easy to stay sharp and build reserves sounds easy but can be tough to stick to!

The Race
On the morning of the race I woke up in my tent filled with nervous energy but not as much as I would the morning of a 42.2km road marathon. I had nothing to prove. I had run 100km before non-stop, but this was uncharted ground and there were no expectations. No pressure.

Leg 1 of 7
16.5km (9.94 mi.)
Elevation Gain: 502m (1,647′)
Elevation Loss: 329m (1,079′)

At the starting line everyone was upbeat with nervous laughter filling the air. The cool mountain air of the night made fog which was only starting to burn off in the heat of the rising sun. The gun went and we were off and running from Blairmore towards the Frank Slide, a huge mountain rockslide that covers the road with rock from time to time.

After the slide we climbed up to the base of Hastings Ridge. I felt super good and filled with energy and optimism about the remaining 6 legs.

Leg 2 of 7
Distance: 16km (9.94mi)
Elevation Gain: 937m (3,074′)
Elevation Loss: 1,110m (3,642′)

On leg 2 any feeling of optimism and feeling like it was attainable was dashed on the rocks! The climb up Hastings Ridge was a tough one but at least it was still cool. At the apex of the climb the view opened up to something so spectacular that it literally took my breath away.

The descent ended up being tougher than the climb in some ways. It involved mud slicked forest trails for the last third of the distance. The constant relentless descent pushed my feet against the front of the shoes causing some serious toe blistering. At the time I didn’t think anything of it.

One river crossing and I wound my way down to the tent city at transfer and aid station #2/3. After refueling with all sorts of fruit, breads, candy, gels, electrolyte drink and water, I headed back out.

Leg 3 of 7

Distance: 35km (21.75mi)
Elevation Gain: 1,327m (4,354′)
Elevation Loss: 1,327m (4,354′)

Affectionately named “Satan’s Sack” by the runners, this leg is a hideously challenging one.

One thing I know about running such long difficult races is that my emotions sometimes feel amplified. Positive or negative emotions are more intense. Controlling these emotions and pushing through the tough times is for me the tough part about ultra running. For example the views were so spectacular that I teared up with joy and awe. This leg’s huge 4,500 feet of vertical was a challenge particularly in the heat that came in the mid day even at altitude.

Leg 4 of 7

Distance: 17km (10.56mi)
Elevation Gain: 675m (2,215′)
Elevation Loss: 617m (2,024′)

This leg began with a change of shoes and socks for me and the first hints that blisters were developing under my toenails from the punishing descents and from being wet from crossing rivers.

Immediately I found myself climbing a decent sized ski hill. The climb seemed to go on forever followed by ducking into the woods where things got a little muddy. After jumping a fast flowing creek onto a mud bank on all fours I found it opened into a long flat valley that reminded me of a really long golf course fairway without the manicured grass of course! In the distance was a beautiful rocky peak that was so distant that it seemed to take ages to get close to. After passing that mountain it was a climb up to the 100th kilometer and the end of 4. At only a couple of km from the end of the leg there was a despicable gravel valley with a pond at the bottom followed by the same type of gravel on the climb-out. At this point I was running by headlamp and had my jacket and toque on because the temperature went down to 8 celsius. After stumbling down the valley I slipped and fell into the pond soaking me from head to foot.

After reaching the aid station at the 100th km I began shivering in the line to drink as much chicken broth as I could and to eat meatballs. The shivering would not abate and the doctor at the medical tent suggested I sit down. They wrapped me in blankets and he told me that I was going into shock and hypothermia and that I should withdraw from the race to avoid serious medical problems and a potential ATV rescue. Two toenails were coming off at this point as well. Had it not been for the shock I’d have duct taped my toes and continued, but it was not to be in 2013.

Epilogue

I consider Sinister 7 to be my Apollo 13 – a successful failure. It was a hard pill to swallow but at the end of the day I’m proud to have covered 100km and climbed and descended 14,000 feet in 17 hours. It was successful because I learned so much from it.

I learned that I had to find trail shoes that had the perfect shape for my feet particularly in the toe box area. I found the Brooks Cascadia shoe and I’m training in them now for months with no issues.

I feel the training I did last year was not the issue so I’m following a similar routine this year and I’m heading back this July! That’s right – I’m doing Sinister 7 2014 and intend to finish this time! Sure they went and added 12km to make it 160km total and a true 100 miler, but that will not stop me now! I found out a lot of things in those mountains, but the most important find was myself. I found out who I really am, what I’m made of and I discovered that my life’s mission is to inspire and help others.

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Author: Nick Brindisi